Theory of Science for the Social Sciences - SIMM23

7,5 credits

About the course

Why do I need to take a course on the philosophy of science? Isn't this something that should be left to people who can get excited over the most abstract theories and philosophies? Philosophy of science – or theory of science, as it is called in this course – is in fact no exotic undertaking but lies at the very basis of what social science research is all about: it provides glimpses into the different ways that we, as social science researchers, perceive, define and theorize reality, in order to build our research upon this 'reality'.

This course will make you realize that these ways can be very different and often at odds with one another. It will also enable you to identify the main characteristics of important meta-approaches to doing social science research and see their merits and limitations: positivist, social constructivist, feminist, and critical realist conceptions of 'doing science'. Additionally, you'll be given the opportunity to work with these concepts both on provided topics (workshops) and on a topic of your own (final paper).

Online course platform

This course uses Live@Lund as the online course platform. The course platform will be opened about four weeks before the course begins to all students who were accepted. Here you will be able to access literature, assignments, announcements, and schedule, as well as participate in discussions and communicate with teachers. You can access the course site here.